Offside - clarification

[Peter Grove]

Attacker one on one with keeper 8 yards out rolls it backwards to a team mate who rolls into empty net GOAL

Attacker one on one with keeper 8 yards out rolls it forward to a team mate who was behind him rolls into empty net GOAL

Attacker one on one with keeper 8 yards out plays ball backwards behind team mate who was ahead of him, he reacts and scores OFFISDE

Agreed ?

Well again, you're using slightly imprecise descriptions and not using the criteria in the law so you're still running the risk of judging it incorrectly. It's not where the player is in relation to their team mate, it's where they are in relation to the ball that counts (assuming both players are beyond the second last opponent).

So in your first scenario this could be a goal or an offside offence as you have only specified the direction the ball travels, not where the player who puts the ball in the net was, when the last touch by a team mate occurred.

It's only if the player is level with or behind the ball when it is played (in any direction) that the goal would be good.

I would combine your first two scenarios and rewrite the third one, as follows:

- Attacker one on one with keeper 8 yards out rolls the ball in any direction. A team mate who was either level with or behind the ball when his team mate played it, then rolls it into empty net. GOAL

- Attacker one on one with keeper 8 yards out plays the ball in any direction. A team mate who was ahead of the ball when his team mate played it, reacts and scores. OFFSIDE

 

[cwyeary]

Your examples should not have any mention of direction of the ball because it simply doesn't matter and it will only lead to more confusion.